Sterilizer.



W. G1HOLMES STERILI'ZER. APPLICATION FILED- FEB. 1B, 1915 1,252, 572. Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IN VEN TOR.

T filo ATTORNEY W. G. HOLMES.

STERILIZER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18,1916

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

2 snzzfvsnsn 2.

@164 lcilNVENTR.

u up ATTORNEY (UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER G. HOLMES, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

STEBILIZE'B.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. WALTERG. HOLMES, of Rochester, inthe county of Monroe and State of: New York. have invented a new and use ful Sterilize r, fully set forth in'the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The'present invention relates to sterilizers and more particularly to the type in which the instruments used by surgeons. doctors, dentists, and others, are supported in. a supporting and draining tray movable within a suitable hot water tank to carry such instruments to and from the water in the tank. An object, of this invention is to provide a durable and compact structure having a minimum number-of parts. Another ob ect of. the; invention is to provide a trayadapted to be supported against movement in drainin position, the supporting means preferab y bein employed or moving the tray toward an from draining position.

To these and other ends; the invention consists in certain parts and combinations of parts all of which will be hereinafter de-.

. scribed, the novel features being pointed out in the appended claim.

view showing-the cover and draining tray .su ported in raised position; ig. 4 is an end VIEW of the sterilizer; and .40

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view showing the tray in side elevation, indraining position, and the hot water tank, together with its supporting frame in vertical longitudinal section;

Fig. 2 is a side view showing the supportin means for holding the tray and cover in raised positions;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional Fig. '5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 3, of a modification.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates ata'nkffor hot water which may bejof any suitable construction. Inthis instance, it'has; a discharge 2 and is surrounded by a'spaced outer wall 3 to which V the. foot ieces 4 are secured.- An electrical,

-or other eater 5, is arranged on the bottom of the tank toheat the latter. For closing the hot water tank, acover 6 is provider,

I pre erably having a chamber 8 formed therein and opening at the under side of said Specification of Letters Patent.

with headed pintles 11 which project in op-- posite directions from the outer face of the arm. These pintles serve as pivots for the' instrument-holding tray and drainer.

This instrument-holding tray'and drainer preferably embodies two end walls 12 formed of sheet metal, with rounded lower edges, and connected together by a body of reticulated material 13 to provide the tray between them, the reticulated material being bent or curved longitudinally to conform to the curvature of the lower edges of the side walls. The side walls may also be provided with hand pieces or grips 14 extending above the main body of the tray, and, between these grips and the lower portions of the side walls, are formed notches 15. the inner ends of which turn upwardly at 16 to provide laterally openingbearings lyin at the vertical center. Within these laterall y opening bearings 16, the pintles 11 are received so that the instrument-holding and drainin maintains an upright position on the pivots for any position to which the cover may be adjusted on its hinge 7 from its closed position to openposition. I

It is desirable that'the cover 6 shall not be thrown so far back as to cause the drippings from the tray to fall'other than in the tank 1 and, for this reason, there is provided a supporting and holding means which will support and holdthe tray in a raised position above the hot water tank. This supporting and holding means preferably embodies a toggle comprising two links 17 and Patented J an. 8, 1918.

Application filed February 18, 1916. Serial No. 79,034.

18 pivoted together at 19, the links 17 also being pivoted to the cover 6, at 20. substantiaily at the longitudinal 'center of the latter, while the link 18-is pivoted at 21 tothe casing 3, at one side of the vertical center of the tank 1. Preferably, the link 18 isextended at one end and provided with a hand piece 22 by which the toggle may be manually operated, A stop 23 on the link 17 cooperates with the operating extension 22 to limit the movement of thetoggle in one dimotion, the position of this-stop 23 being such that the pivot 19 moves to one side of the center'line through the pivots 20 and 21, when thetoggle is extended, to. lock the cover and the instrument-draining and hold fing tray in raised positions.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the tray 12 is provided with feet 12 which serve for supporting the tray when it is detached from the cover and also while it is within the hot water tank, the latter, for this pur pose, having lugs 12' at ommsite ends for engagement by the feet 12". TllQSQ lugs are so positioned that when the tray rests thereon, the side frames 12 become disconnected with the pintles, due vto the fact that the tray. engages the lugs before the cover has reached closed position.

A sterilizer constructed in accordance with this invention provides a structure Which is inexpensive to manufacture and not liable to get out of order. It is unnecessary to provide any guides within the tank as the connection with lhe cover is direct and, when the tray is raised, it is entirely out of contact with the hot water tank so that it will not be heated by conduction and may cool oil rapidly. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4;, the tray is also out of contact with the tank, when lowered, and this is also a very desirable feature as the instruments are then only heated by the hot water. The supporting togglennaintains the instrument tray in a raised position above the tank so that the tray may drain into the tank without-- any danger from the accidental closing of the cover.

T he toggle also serves for opening the cover and that this takes place while it lifts the tray and its load. and contirnies until the toggle has slightly passed a dead center where it :uitolnatically looks the cover and sustains the load.

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a device of the kind described, the combination with a water tank and a cover hinged thereto at one side, said cover having projecting arms, of a tray pivotall-y hinged on said arms, and a toggle connecting said tank to said cover at points offset from its hinge, the said toggle having increasing power as it is moved toward the deadcenter in the act of opening said cover and raising said. tray, the said toggle, in the. extreme open position of the cover being held in. a position slightly beyond its dead center whereby the cover is locked in its open position, and the tray sustained 1n a raised position.

WALTER G. HOLMES. 

